Blended learning in the UK

Our colleges carried out extensive preparations to be ready for face-to-face learning, and we have a range of solutions and innovations currently in place to make sure you’ll get a fantastic — and safe — study experience. We’ve made sure that all appropriate social distancing measures are in place, and we are, of course, following all UK government guidance on health and safety.

At all of our UK colleges, we’ve implemented the following measures to ensure your safety.

• Hand sanitiser stations throughout the building
• Floor markings to aid social distancing
• Reduced classroom capacity to comply with government guidelines
• Directional signage to ensure a safe flow of traffic around the College
• Face masks available for anyone who needs one
• Thorough cleaning at regular intervals every day
• All staff fully briefed on the requirements needed to keep everyone in the building safe at all times
• Explanation of social distancing and safety measures as part of the student induction process

We’ve also organised the timetable so that you are able to learn new concepts via engaging digital materials during your private study time, and then consolidate what you’ve learnt through valuable face-to-face support from tutors and classmates.

Please note: exact social distancing and safety measures may differ for courses not delivered by Kaplan (University of Bristol International Foundation Programme; Engineering and Physical Sciences Foundation Certificate at the University of Nottingham; University of York International Pathway College programmes) but government guidelines will still be adhered to. You can read more about the plans for these programmes here.

Your blended learning experience will involve a mix of traditional face-to-face teaching at your college and digital learning at home. This means that you’ll experience a variety of different teaching and assessment methods to help you demonstrate that you have met the learning outcomes of the modules and your programme.

Some of these involve you submitting work before a deadline via the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), or equivalent, and others are more time-restricted. For example, there may be some examinations for which questions are made available and you have a limited amount of time to return your answers.

For a small number of assessments, you may be required to use special software on your computer, which helps with exam security and verifies your identity.  These measures mean you can be sure that your studies prior to entering university in the UK will be recognised and respected.

At present, we’re aiming to give students approximately 15 hours of “in class” time per week (60-70% of your timetable). However, this may vary depending on the size of the college, and with government advice. Currently, in-person classes will cover no fewer than 8 hours per week (around 40%).

Please note that face-to-face teaching time may vary for the following courses that are not delivered by Kaplan: University of Bristol International Foundation Programme; Engineering and Physical Sciences Foundation Certificate at the University of Nottingham; University of York International Pathway College programmes. You can read more about the Autumn 2020 plans for these programmes here.

Welcome Week is a very important part of our programmes. It allows you to meet your tutors and other students on your course, learn more about the modules you’ll study, and find out how to access all the support services available to you.

You’ll enjoy the full Welcome Week experience with the opportunity to get try out the different learning tools you’ll be using, and to get to know your classmates in a relaxed way. You’ll have a tour of your college, an introduction to your new city, and you’ll have the chance to take part in games and social events. This will all help you feel like part of the community as soon as you get to the college.

Depending on when you arrive, some of these activities may take place online.

Learn more about the support services available to you here.

In many cases, thanks to flexible enrolment, it is possible to join a course later than its actual start date. If you do start your course later, the teaching and support staff at the college will help make sure you catch up, and don’t miss out on important lessons and course content.

For example, live classes are often recorded for you to access and review when it is convenient to do so. You’ll also have access to small group or individual catch ups with module tutors for your first few weeks as needed. Other measures may include making use of an Applied Learning Week, mock interview preparation and personalised time management sessions. This extra academic support will help you get up to speed.

Support for late-starting students is highly tailored to individual needs. If it is clear that you might need additional support in certain areas, for a longer period, or leading up to a particular exam or test, your tutors can arrange further sessions and other measures to help your academic development. Whenever you start your course, you can be confident that you’ll get the support you need.